A Little Something Called Life
by johnmykawaiiwaifu
Summary: Your name is Amanda Mallette and for the first 14 years of your life nothing extraordinary had ever happened to you. You lived in Stratford, right near your cousin Justin and this story is more or less about him and you and a little something called life


it started off as a joke to convince this idiot  
>who assumed i was friends with justin bieber<br>because i was canadian. so then we started  
>joking about it and stuff, and she decided to<br>write a shitty fanfic about my made up life.

but then

it turned into this.

and it's actually pretty good.

all credit goes to SB for writing this and  
>everything, all i did was make this account<br>and post this.

* * *

><p>Your name is Amanda Mallette and for the first 14 years of your life nothing extraordinary had ever happened to you. You lived in Stratford, Ontario, right near your cousin Justin. Actually, his full name is Justin Drew Bieber (you would always make fun of him about the "Drew" part) and this story is more or less about him and you and a little something called life.<p>

You two had what you liked to describe as a "healthy cousinly relationship". You might have even spent more time together than the average cousins did. On bright, sunny afternoons you would hang out after school, go to the nearby Subway (damn they make good subs) and then walk over to the park where you would toss some bread at the squirrels, trying to coax them close enough to touch. On days when it was too rainy or cold to be strolling about town you two would sit in your warm rooms and talk endlessly on Facebook, talking about nothing in particular long into the night.

You liked to think that Justin was always there for you, and you had good reason to. He was there when you took your first step, when you spoke your first word. (Despite the constant coaxing from the adults of "Come on, Amanda, say Mummy for us!" Your first word was apparently "Muffin" but then again, you always were a strange child.) He was there for you the first time you ever stood on your dining room table (something you're quite confident everybody does at least once) and he was there with you in the hospital when you were getting stitches on your head after you fell off the table. He was there for you through the backstabbing friends, the god awful teachers and everything you could possibly want a cousin to be there for. He might not be with you 24/7 but you were ok with that, you can only handle so much Justin in one day, right? But he was always there afterschool, and, though you'd never actually admit it, there's a special place reserved in your heart for those afternoons at the park.

It was one of those perfect afternoons, the sun was shining and there was barely a cloud in the sky. It wasn't too hot or cold, just that in-between temperature that seems to put the world in a better mood, a brighter light. You two were strolling down one of those little stone paths in the park that you always described as quaint, for lack of a better word. For some reason you always felt a certain classy aspect to the scene when viewed from the path. You had your tuna and veggie sub and you were thoughtfully munching on it while taking abuse from Justin about your choice in sandwich. It was a daily ritual. You would go to the Subway, get your respective subs (you always got tuna and veggie, Justin got ham cheese and mayo) you would flinch and roll your eyes at his choice and him at yours. Then as soon as you two had reached the park he would fling abuse at you. He wasn't actually being mean, merely voicing his strong opinion. It used to bother you, but you learned to let it slide.

A crisp breeze started up and you shivered. Justin just glanced over at you and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Some day you're just going to collapse out here from the cold, and then I'll be beyond screwed." He told you as he thrust his sub into your hands and pulled off his hoodie. It was green. You hated the color green; in fact you had half a mind to refuse his offer and tough it out. But then another, stronger breeze blew through the park and you snatched the sweater out of his hands and pulled it on before you could get any colder.

You continued your walk through the park as usual, but Justin was unusually quiet. All through your walk along the stone path, when you both slid onto the familiar wooden bench nestled in between two willow trees, even when you tossed the bread to the squirrels, he barely said a word.

"What's up, Justin?" You cocked an eyebrow and gave him the most skeptical look you could muster. "Usually by this time you would have told me your entire day down to every tiny, insignificant detail and still have something to talk about. I feel empty without my cousin telling me all of his secrets." You gave him a sly smile and a gentle punch on the shoulder.

Justin sighed, crumpling up his sub wrapper and tossing it at the garbage can a few feet away (an art that you two had been perfecting for the past few months.) He missed, which in its on special way told you something was wrong. Justin never missed, when you spend every day for months practicing something as simple as throwing a piece of paper into a trash can you can't miss. It just doesn't work that way.

Justin walked over to put his wrapper in the trash. You threw yours in (a perfect toss, adjusted for wind velocity and you position, BOOYEAH.) and seeing the look on your face Justin sighed again.

"I'm just having an off day, alright?" He snapped at you. But his expression softened immediately and you could tell he didn't mean it. At least you hoped he didn't. Sometimes Justin was a little hard to figure out, his emotions getting confused and coming out forcefully when he meant them to be soft, yelling when he was trying to whisper. It used to bother you, but you learned to let it slide.

"You know I know better than that, Justin. Don't insult me."

He looked you in the eye, something he hadn't done all day, and you saw something hard in there that you'd never seen before. His eyes lingered on yours for a moment longer and that coldness melted away, revealing those cousin eyes you knew and loved. Justin wouldn't be Justin without his clear, innocent, mischievous eyes. (Yes, it was controversial to say innocent and mischievous, but you knew Justin's eyes better than your mothers, so you figure you have a bit of poetic license here.)

He slid next to you on the bench, trying to look anywhere but at you. Finally you cleared your throat, and Justin looked you in the eye. He blinked, but when he did his eyes stayed closed a moment too long. "This is going to sound stupid, but I can sing. Sing… well. Great, in fact. I've posted some videos on YouTube and I think my career might take off from them." He said it all in one breath, as if he couldn't wait to relieve himself from the burden of keeping a secret from you any longer.

You looked at him, not sure what to think. Kids posted videos on YouTube all the time, that wasn't anything special. But you knew for a fact Justin couldn't sing to save his life, or yours. And a small part of you was jealous he hadn't told you about this.

"Really." It came out flat and doubting, but you didn't take it back. You weren't sure why not, but you just didn't.

"I can, really." The earnest expression on his face made you regret your tone of voice. "Want me to sing something for you?"

You roll your eyes and allow a sarcastic smile to play at your lips. "Sure why not, Mr. Bieber. By all means take it away."

"Any requests?" He made a big show of preparing himself for singing, smoothing his hair down and puffing out his chest.

"Cooler than me." You respond. You're not sure why that came to mind, but it seemed to fit the mood.

"As you wish, Madame." He cleared his throat and then he began to sing. It took you by surprise, he wasn't half bad. In fact he was more than that. He was good… he was amazing. Well, he wasn't any Mike Posner, but compared to the last time you'd heard him sing "Oh Canada" he was fantastic. You felt the small kernel of bitterness shrink into the furthest reaches of your heart as you sat there with the cousin you loved, listening to him sing on this perfect day. You wish every day could be like this.

The song ended and so did the moment, and you two just sat there for a while, thinking. Damn, you had no idea why you'd gotten all wrapped up like that over him not telling you. You had just thought Justin told you everything, but now looking back on it you felt foolish. Of course he didn't tell you everything. Why the hell would he just be spewing out his secrets everyday? Granted, the fact you're his cousin gives you a little bit of an edge when it comes to incriminating evidence, but still. He had to have some reason for keeping this from you, but you felt a little resentment. He was your cousin, after all. But… you didn't tell him everything about you so… touché.

Eventually you two stood up and left the park, not talking. The silence bothered you, but you felt Justin had earned some respect from you, so you kept quiet and waited for him to start the conversation. You'd be willing to talk about anything. Even soccer or… (God forbid) Dianna Agron. You kept walking and waiting, occasionally scuffing your feet on the sidewalk and letting out a sigh. But he didn't talk at all; he seemed too wrapped up in his own thoughts. In fact when you stopped at his house and gave him his hoodie he looked surprised to see you for a moment, like he'd forgotten you were there. But then he gave you a warm smile and called

"See you tomorrow!" Over his shoulder as he opened the door and slipped into the warm interior of his house.

You hurried home (why is Canada so cold when you least expect it?) and snuck up to your room before anyone could conjure some random chore for you. You slid into your black chair in front of your computer, checking Facebook for Justin, maybe he'd be slightly more willing to spill online. No luck, he wasn't on. You sigh and push your hair away from your face, turning off the monitor and lying back in the chair thinking to yourself you'll only rest for a moment…

You wake up to the sun shining through the window. You keep your eyes closed; trying to block out the light and trick your mind into thinking you're still asleep. You sigh; obviously it's not going to work this time. You swing yourself into an upright position, flick on your monitor and look at the time. It's 8:30. Fuck, you're going to be late for school. Why didn't anybody come and wake you up? You sigh. It's just going to be one of those days.

By the time you've gathered up your things and sprinted out the door with a strawberry poptart in one hand and your backpack swinging wildly from the other it's already 9:00. Homeroom started 10 minutes ago. You slow down, munching thoughtfully on your poptart. Maybe you'll just skip school today. Sure, they'll call home and you'll be screwed, but at least you won't have to deal with all of the things that are sure to go wrong as soon as you walk through the door that leads to the office and make up some bogus excuse about going to the dentist.

You're in the middle of spinning around and heading home for a day of lounging around but you catch yourself mid-turn. You're trying to be a better person, sure, but the thing that really stops you is what you know is going to happen after school. You remember Justin calling to you yesterday, "see you after school!" No way in hell you were missing a chance to get some answers.

No. Frickin. Way.

Finally school was over. Nothing horrid had happened, despite the fact you had nothing to eat (you were too late to pack a lunch and your cafeteria food looks like it could give you AIDS, among other things) and you totally forgot you had a French presentation. You aced the French with a little bit of improv and waltzed out the doorway, a rare smile on your face, scanning the crowd for Justin.

He waved you over, surrounded by a crowd of people that you didn't recognize. More secrets Justin's been keeping from you all this time, you guess. He mutters something to them and rolls his eyes then walks towards you. His bright smile looked slightly more forced than it ever had before and you noticed his expression was perfectly sober, maybe even a little disdainful, before his back was turned to the others he was with, but you tried not to let it bother you. You two walked down to the park, skipping Subway (he wasn't hungry and you were too desperate for answers) and heading straight for the park.

After the first few minutes of silence it seemed obvious to you Justin wasn't going to say anything, so you subtly started the conversation.

"What happened to those YouTube videos?" You casually asked, nudging him softly with your elbow to let him know you were expecting a response.

He looks like he's about to reply, but then his cell phone rings. He doesn't even look at you, no apologetic look, and no "just let me get this". He just picks it up and stops walking. You lean in close to his cell phone to hear what's being said. He shoots you a mildly dirty look but he doesn't move away.

"Hey, is this Justin…" A voice crackles through the phone.

"Bieber? Yeah, this is him."

"Yeah, yeah, sure. So listen, kid. I saw one of your videos."

Justin raised his eyebrows. "Who is this again?"

"I never said. But that doesn't matter just yet. You are the right kid, yeah? Justin… Biber?"

"Bieber." Justin corrected him. "But yeah, I'm Justin. What's this got to do with anything?"

"Beaver, listen." The voice started to sound impatient.

"It's Bieber."

"Yeah, whatever, that's what I said, wasn't it? Anyways, kid. I think you've got some serious talent. A promising future, if someone took you under their wing. Hollywood won't come to you, Justin; someone's got to bring you to the place. I'm Usher, kid. And I think I might be willing to do just that." Some random static obscured what the voice was going to say next, but it didn't really matter. Justin probably wouldn't have heard it through his shock, you know you wouldn't have.

"Is this is a joke?" Justin finally managed to say.

"No. Ok, let's put it this way, Justin. I am a very busy rapper, and I have a lot to do." Usher was speaking very slowly, as if to someone who he didn't think would understand him if he spoke much faster. "So I am willing to offer you a one-way ticket to what could be fame. You can take it now or leave it, kid."

"What's in it for you?"

"If you work out well, Justin. It could possibly give me some… investments in the future. Win-win situation. You in?"

"Hell yes." Justin said into the phone, his excitement barely hidden.

"Good, I'll phone you later to work out the details." And then the line went dead.

Justin shoved his phone is his pocket and tore down that park path towards home.

"Justin!" You screamed, and ran after him. "Justin, you idiot get back here!"

He stopped dead and turned around to face you, the hardness in his eyes from yesterday was there again. "Why don't you stop being so clingy, Amanda? I have friends and a career waiting for me; go get yourself someone else to pester all of the time. I bet it's never occurred to you that I get tired of listening to you all the time."

That offended you more than you were willing to admit. "Oh yeah, Justin? Well doesn't it ever occur to you I get tired of your bitching as well? And has it ever occurred to you that it doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone?" Tears started welling up in your eyes. "Maybe I do have friends, and you don't know every little thing about my life. Maybe I'm more tired of you and your ostentatious personality than you are of me."

"That's just it, isn't it?" He was shouting now. "You throwing around words like 'ostentatious' it's no wonder no one likes you."

"Oh, I'm so sorry; I forgot you had the vocabulary of a second grader. How about if I throw around simpler words? Does douche bag do it for you? Can you understand that?"

"Well maybe I'll just think about that while I'm off in Hollywood." Then he spun around on his heel and continued towards his house. You sprinted after him and caught him just before he reached the door.

"Justin, how do you even know that was Usher? Do you honestly think it's the best idea to get your hopes up and then have it all be a prank?"

"You're just jealous you have no fucking talent of any kind. Go back and hide in your cave you anti-social whore."

You bit your lip to stop yourself from crying, and you were about to yell something in response when Justin's mother opened the door, looking very tired and cross.

"What on Earth is going on out here?"

"Nothing, Aunt Patricia." You turned around and stalked away, not looking back once.

That was the last you ever saw of Justin. You felt kind of bad that you two parted on such a bad note, but you figured what's done is done. In the span of two days the closet relationship you'd ever had with anybody was torn apart.

Justin did go to Hollywood; thousands of tweenage girls across the world are swooning for your cousin everyday. Every Christmas a small check comes to your house which gets squirreled away into your collage fund, but you would have given all of it and more to have your cousin back with you. You try to email him every day, check his old facebook account, but he's never on. You send so many messages it's depressing, and you've cried over it countless times.

To this day Justin hasn't responded to a single email, and you can't help wondering whether he's still holding a grudge or if in all of his fame he's forgotten you. Without Justin and those walks in the park your world had been turned upside down, and then shaken a couple of times until everything fell out. Days turned to weeks and into months. You barely scraped a passing grade in most subjects, and the few friends you had grew distant.

Eventually you pulled yourself out of your state of depression and your life got better. It was nothing compared to when Justin had been there, and you still sent him an email every day, but he never responded.

It used to bother you, but you had learned to let it slide.


End file.
